Lots of depth in backcourt now

The Grizzlies' biggest offseason priorities have been to improve their outside shooting and find a reliable backup point guard.

Ever since the NBA draft, the Grizzlies have gone guard crazy, adding three new faces to their backcourt -- Wayne Ellington in a trade from Minnesota, Jerryd Bayless in free agency from Toronto and rookie Tony Wroten, taken with the No. 25 pick in the recent draft.

And that's not even counting guard Josh Selby, the Grizzlies' 2011 first-round draft choice, who was recently named co-MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League.

Selby, who averaged 27.5 points on 59 percent shooting from the field and 70 percent from three-point range in Vegas, has the edge on the backup point guard spot. Last season, Selby got little time as a rookie as coach Lionel Hollins chose to go with veterans O.J. Mayo and Gilbert Arenas as Mike Conley's backups. Arenas wasn't re-signed, and the Mavs signed Mayo because the Grizzlies didn't have enough money to make him an offer.

"I never lost my confidence whether I was on the bench or not," said Selby, who shuttled back and forth between the Grizzlies and the NDBL last season. "I had guys on the team telling me to just stay ready."

Selby was so impressive in Las Vegas that the Grizzlies dumped Jeremy Pargo, who signed as a free agent before last season and eventually was benched because of inconsistency. Pargo, who averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 assists and 33 percent shooting in 44 games (five starts), was left off the Grizzlies' playoff roster.

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NBA Team Report - Memphis Grizzlies - NOTES, QUOTES

--Finally, the TV networks have discovered the Grizzlies.

In the freshly announced 2012-13 NBA schedule, the Grizzlies will be on national TV a franchise-record 15 times this season (seven on ESPN, one on TNT, seven on NBA TV), including the 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Game against the Indiana Pacers on ESPN on Jan. 21 at noon at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies open their 12th season in Memphis (18th overall) on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that eliminated Memphis last season in seven games in a Western Conference first-round series.

Beginning with the Grizzlies' home opener against the Jazz on Nov. 5, the Grizzlies will play nine of 12 at FedExForum, including a meeting with LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Miami Heat on Nov. 11. Memphis will be home against the Lakers and their new backcourt, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, as part of a season-long five-game homestand from Nov. 19 to 30.

--Beyond Sport, an organization dedicated to the idea that sports can be used to accomplish great things beyond the courts, the pools and the playing fields, named the Grizzlies the Sport Team of the Year at the conclusion of its 2012 program.

The Grizzlies beat out four other finalists: the Boston Celtics, the Queens Park Rangers FC (England), Tottenham Hotspur (England) and the North Queensland Rubies (Australia).

"It's a recognition of all the people in Memphis who have worked so hard to have an impact in the community," said Jenny Koltnow, executive director of Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation.

The Grizzlies were recognized for their TEAM UP youth mentoring initiative, their partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, their Healthy Home Court project, which teaches good nutrition and health at home, and their efforts at improving literacy through Read to Achieve.

--In a recent NBA Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas during the summer league, NBA commissioner David Stern said Robert Pera's bid to purchase the Grizzlies from Michael Heisley won't be voted on until September.

Pera, a California communications technology magnate worth nearly $1 billion, agreed to purchase the Grizzlies on June 11 for what is believed to be $335 million. Reports have also put the sale in excess of $350 million. Pera entered the purchasing agreement with a nonrefundable, $10 million deposit.

The league is conducting its normal background checks on a prospective owner like Pera.

"It's proceeding on pace, and we hope in the next couple of months to be able to approve that," Stern said.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I have a lot to learn. I just have to try to bring it to the season next year." -- Second-year guard Josh Selby

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NBA Team Report - Memphis Grizzlies - ROSTER REPORT

PLAYER NOTES:

--The Grizzlies, seeking a shooter, traded forward Dante Cunningham to Minnesota for fourth-year guard Wayne Ellington, a former first-round draft choice from the University of North Carolina.

"When you look at the (Memphis) roster you see a lot of opportunities for a lot of open shots, especially from the perimeter," said Ellington, 24, Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 Final Four after leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA national championship. "That's one of my strengths."